


Superheroes and Other Lies

by meils121



Category: Leverage
Genre: Foster Care, Rescue Missions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-22
Updated: 2017-12-22
Packaged: 2019-02-18 14:11:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13101840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meils121/pseuds/meils121
Summary: Parker's doesn't know how to feel when they have to rescue a little girl who's been kidnapped away from her foster family.





	Superheroes and Other Lies

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kiss_me_cassie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiss_me_cassie/gifts).



            The first time they pull a job helping kids, Parker feels funny afterwards.  She doesn’t talk about it to anyone, because that would mean exposing a weakness.  Parker doesn’t let people get that close.  She jumps off a tall building and pretends everything is fine instead.

            The second time they pull a job that helps kids, Parker makes an off-handed comment to Sophie about feeling strange.  Sophie says they can talk, if she wants, but Parker doesn’t want.  So she just shakes her head and says she’s fine.  But she’s getting better at feelings by now, and she knows she isn’t fine.

            The third time - the third time is different.  Parker doesn’t know exactly what makes it different.  Maybe it’s because they’re helping a foster family.  Maybe it’s because there’s a six year old girl missing.  Maybe it’s because Parker’s finally facing the feelings she has from when she was a six year old who didn’t have a family anymore.  Whatever the reason, she doesn’t like this feeling.  

            She’s sitting in Lucille with Hardison and trying to figure out what to do with these feelings.  They’ve located the missing girl and are just waiting for Sophie to do what she does best so they can rescue her.  It’s a waiting game right now, and Parker is unusually antsy.  She wants to be doing something.  Wants to storm the building and rescue this kid and promise her that the world isn’t as bad as it seems right now.  Wants to tell her that she has a foster family who cares about her.  Wants to tell her that there are a lot of bad people out there but that she’s found the good ones, and that’s all that really matters.   

            “You okay?”  Hardison asks.

            “Yes.”  Parker says, because that’s what she’s used to saying.  Then, “No.  I don’t know.”

            “It’s okay not to be okay.”  Hardison tells her.

            “Is it?”  Parker asks.  “I just feel - like I should be okay, you know?”

            “Of course it’s okay.  I mean, we’re all a little screwed up from our pasts, you know?”

            And Parker does know.  This - this just feels different, somehow, in a way that she can’t quite find the words for.  

            “I used to dream.”  She says quietly, not entirely sure if she wants Hardison to hear her or not.  “I thought that maybe if I wished really, really, really hard, and was really, really, really good, maybe a superhero would break down the door of my foster parents’ house and yell at them and tell them that they were being horrible to me.  Then they would take me away and I’d never have to live with them again.”

            “You’ve never told me that.”  Hardison says.

            “I know.”  Parker takes a deep breath.  “I haven’t told anybody.”

            “Oh.  Well, thanks.”  Hardison says.

            “Why?”

            “Because telling other people that kinda stuff is hard.”  Hardison answers.  “And I get it, I really do.  Before I ended up with Nana - well, my biological mom wasn’t the best.  I used to have dreams like that too.  I thought Iron Man would come rescue me.”

            This time it’s Parker’s turn to say, “Oh.”  Then: “Are we those superheroes?  Or are we just rescuing this kid from one crappy situation to return her to another?”

            “We’d be doing this job very differently if there was even a chance this wasn’t the right family for this little girl.”  Hardison says firmly.  “You know that, right?  They want to adopt her.  They call her their daughter.  They’re heartbroken right now.”

            “I know.”  Parker says.  “I just - can’t believe it, I guess.”

            Hardison looks over at her for a moment.  “You’ll see.”  He says.  “We’re doing the right thing.”

            Sophie gives the signal minutes later, and within the hour they have a very shaken, very scared little girl safe and sound with them.  She’s hysterical, though, crying and screaming.  Parker’s heart hurts.  

            “Hey.”  She says, kneeling down next to the girl - Emma.  “You’re safe now.  It’s okay.”

            “Nuh-uh.”  Emma stops crying long enough to glare at Parker with the sort of world-weary skepticism that someone her age shouldn’t have.  

            “My name is Parker.  I was in foster care too.”  Parker says.  She’s not sure if this is the right way to do things, but Emma isn’t crying, so she keeps going.  “And bad things happened to me, too.  I was really scared that everyone in the world was horrible.”

            Emma swipes the back of her hand across her face, smearing snot and tears.  “They told me they loved me.”  She says quietly.  “My foster family did.  And they lied.  They let the bad people take me away again.  They said that would never happen.”

            “They do love you.  They want you to always be part of their family.”  Parker tells her.  “But your biological parents tried to kidnap you so you wouldn’t be happy.  And your foster family asked me and my friends to find you.”

            There’s a pause while Emma digests this information.  “Really?”  She asks with the sort of hope that suggests she’s already bracing for Parker to take that hope away from her.

            “Really.”  Parker promises.

            Hardison wraps an arm around Parker after they bring Emma back to her family.  “You’re a superhero.”  He says quietly.  “Just so you know.”

 


End file.
